X

Half-Life 2: Episode 3's plot revealed by former writer

For 10 years, Half-Life fans have wondered if a new game would ever come out. Now the former head writer has revealed what might have been.

Jason Parker Senior Editor / Reviews - Software
Jason Parker has been at CNET for nearly 15 years. He is the senior editor in charge of iOS software and has become an expert reviewer of the software that runs on each new Apple device. He now spends most of his time covering Apple iOS releases and third-party apps.
See full bio
Jason Parker
2 min read
half-life2header

So long, old friends.

 Gamespot

Marc Laidlaw, the former head writer for Valve's "Half-Life" video game franchise, posted early today what he imagined the story line would be for the highly-anticipated "Half-Life 2: Episode 3." 

Fans have been waiting 10 years for news of when Valve might release the third episode, or a third title entirely. The mere hint of a new game has repeatedly driven the internet insane . But the storyline released by Laidlaw may signal the final nail in the coffin for the beloved franchise, especially since Laidlaw left Valve last year.

You'll have to read the entire thing for yourself, but just know that yes, it's heartbreaking. And yes, the plot threads left from "Episode 2" AND "Portal " could have potentially been picked up.

screen-shot-2017-08-25-at-12-45-58-pm

The start of a post by Marc Laidlaw revealing the storyline for "Half-Life 2: Episode 3." Click the image for the full post. 

Released in 2004, "Half-Life 2" won 39 "Game of the Year" awards and the title of "Game of the Decade" at the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards. It was praised for its graphics, physics, animation, sound, AI and narrative and is widely considered one of the most significant video games of all time. 

Valve followed it up by planning for three new episodes to serve as sequels to Half-Life 2, releasing Episode One as a stand-alone purchase then Episode 2 as part of 2007's The Orange Box, which also included Team Fortress 2 and introduced Portal. Since then, with titles like "DOTA 2, " "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive " and "Left 4 Dead," Valve has seemingly abandoned big-budget single-player experiences like Half-Life.

Now that a decade has passed and there's still no official word from Valve, fans can at least get some closure from a hint of what might have been, instead of continuing to pour through TF2 hat data in search of files containing "HL3."

The Smartest Stuff: Innovators are thinking up new ways to make you, and the things around you, smarter.

iHate: CNET looks at how intolerance is taking over the internet.